Housing Minister tours social housing developments in Kilkenny

Clúid Housing welcomed Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, to a recently opened development in Orchard Close, Kilkenny.

Orchard Close, Kilkenny, is a new development of 23 3-bed semi-detached and terraced houses located close to the town centre with access to recreational, educational and social amenities. There are 12 3-bed semi-detached and 11 3-bed terrace houses. The scheme was constructed as a developer design and build project by Byrne and Byrne.

There were officially 656 households on the social housing waiting list in Kilkenny in November last year, according to figures from the Department for Housing. Residents of Orchard Close were housed from Kilkenny County Council’s housing list and they received their keys in July. All 23 families have now moved into their new A2 rated homes and the scheme is now managed by Clúid’s award winning housing managers.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD said: “Housing for All continues to deliver for the people of Kilkenny. I want to commend Clúid Housing and Kilkenny County Council on their collaborative efforts, supported by my Department, to supply 23 families with these brilliant new homes.

“Despite the numerous challenges we are facing, home-building is continuing at pace and this year we will exceed our overall targets for 2022. My department will continue to provide supports to local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies like Clúid to further increase supply into 2023 and beyond.”

Speaking at the launch today, Aoife Corcoran, New Business Manager at Clúid, stated, “It’s important that we continue to deliver A-rated homes to our residents. The current cost-of-living crisis is putting immense pressure on everyone, and the Clúid team is focused not only on the environmental sustainability of our communities, but also the social and financial sustainability of our residents.

“Partnership is at the heart of the success of this scheme. Combining forces is the only way to create more housing and move families off the waiting list and into energy efficient homes. We worked closely with Kilkenny County Council and the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage on this project, and we thank them for their commitment to delivering homes like these.”